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Stockholm (AP) - A year ago, on December 9, 2019, Roxette front woman Marie Fredriksson died of cancer.
Now the strong voice of the Swede can be heard with new material - among other things in previously unreleased songs, acoustic versions and in Spanish.
In an interview with the German Press Agency, your band partner Per Gessle explains why it is time for new Roxette music and why Fredriksson's singing remains unique to him to this day.
Question: Mr. Gessle, one year after Marie Fredriksson's death, your voice can be heard again in the “Bag of Trix” collection.
Was it a special feeling for you to work with songs that you recorded together when she was still alive?
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Answer: Yes, of course.
I never really realized that there was so much material in the drawer.
Some of these titles have never been released before, some have been lost.
Of course it's very emotional to hear Marie sing.
Especially those tracks that I basically forgot, the Abbey Road sessions from 1995, for example, or the last songs we recorded for the “Good Karma” album.
Question: The collection is shaped by the Roxette sound of the 90s.
Why was the Corona year 2020 the time for new music?
Answer: When Marie died just before Christmas last year, that was the end of the Roxette saga.
I then looked through all these things lying around, packed them up and listened to them.
It was just great to make a big collection out of all of this.
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Question: Name two or three of your favorites.
Answer: We made a Spanish album in the 90s called «Baladas en Español».
To hear Marie sing all these songs in Spanish was just breathtaking.
I found a song called You Don't Understand Me that had never come out in Spanish before.
Even if I don't understand a word of what she is singing, it all comes across as a very soulful song.
That's the power of Marie's voice.
It just knocks me out every time I hear that.
But also the acoustic things in the collection, such as the version of the Beatles' “Help” song: It's just amazing to hear their voice in a very naked environment like this one.
Question: Critics will say, if Roxette didn't use these songs on previous albums, why should I listen to them now?
Is it all just a box of discarded songs?
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Answer: No, not in the least.
When you make albums like us, there is so much material.
For example, when we recorded “Have A Nice Day” we had maybe 35 songs to choose from.
You just let some things out, we've been doing that all along.
This is not about poor quality or second rate songs, but rather the competition between songs when you make a particular album.
Question: Back to Marie Fredriksson: What do you think of first when you think back on your time together?
Answer: It's been a long journey.
We came from the same little town, we shared the same dreams, we wanted to go abroad.
And we were very good at different things: I was the songwriter, Marie was the singer.
For me she was the perfect partner because she was a great person, but also because she could make my songs so much better because she was such a great singer.
And the other way around: she was a great singer, but she needed great songs.
Question: So it was a perfect fit for you?
Answer: Yes, 1 and 1 basically became 3. We came from nowhere in Sweden and we eventually grew up.
It's just amazing.
Question: As Roxette, you have also been to Germany several times together.
How do you remember the German fans?
Answer: Sure, when you play in South America, people react in a certain way because they're Latinos.
But at all of our shows in Germany, in Cologne, Berlin and elsewhere, the fans were really outstanding.
It should also be remembered that the history of pop music is very much about America and England.
Since we as Swedes sang in English for German fans, we met through the English language.
That was neutral ground, so to speak.
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Question: Speaking of language: you recently released an album in Swedish called "Gammal kärlek rostar aldrig" (Old love never rusts).
Is it a coincidence that you release both Roxette music and your own music almost at the same time?
Answer: I didn't intend to publish anything on my own.
During the pandemic, I just spent time at home in the summer and went to the studio.
I just wanted to make music.
Then I threw myself into my old stuff.
These are basically songs that I wrote in the 80s and 90s but never recorded.
I tried to play most of the instruments myself, which makes it very special.
Question: «Special» in the sense of «better»?
Answer: Well, let's say: more personal.
ABOUT THE PERSON: Per Gessle (61) formed the pop duo Roxette with Marie Fredriksson from 1986 to 2016.
The two Swedes had world hits like “It Must Have Been Love” or “Joyride”.
Fredriksson died of cancer on December 9, 2019 at the age of 61.
A Roxette collection of 47 songs will be released on December 11th.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 201203-99-553611 / 4